Journalism of Courage
Nandurbar, tucked away in a corner of northern Maharashtra, shares a special bond with India’s most powerful political dynasty. The Gandhis have always chosen this impoverished, tribal-dominated region to launch their national election campaign. And Nandurbar has remained with the Congress continuously since 1967. (IE Photo: Pradeep Kocharekar)
This time, things are different. Unable to break into the Congress bastion on its own, the BJP has “imported” Heena Gavit, the 26-year-old daughter of expelled Nationalist Congress Party heavyweight Vijay Kumar Gavit, to take on 80-year-old sitting MP Manikrao Gavit. (IE Photo: Pradeep Kocharekar)
It is going to be a close, straight contest between the union minister and the postgraduate student of medicine, local political observers say, the presence of a candidate from the Aam Aadmi Party notwithstanding. (IE Photo: Pradeep Kocharekar)
Nandurbar’s geographical location adds to the political contest for the seat. The region sits at the junction of three states, and is bordered by Narendra Modi’s Gujarat on one side, and Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s Madhya Pradesh on the other. (IE Photo: Pradeep Kocharekar)
While Nandurbar has been the Congress’s chosen theatre to launch its marquee development and welfare schemes, an overwhelming percentage of the district’s rural population turns to urban centres like Surat, Bardoli, and Ankleshwar in Gujarat to earn a living through odd jobs for up to eight months every year. (IE Photo: Pradeep Kocharekar)
Senior political analyst Yogendra Dorkar said Modi would love the narrative of having turned this Gandhi family bastion saffron. “It would be a symbolic victory for the BJP,” Dorkar said. (IE Photo: Pradeep Kocharekar)
